


fool for you

by atlasRests (NebulaeReprise)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Roronoa Zoro, Gen, M/M, Modern AU, and a partridge in a pear tree, feral luffy, happy holidays yall, one gratuitous reference, three instances of yearning, two references to doing crime, zoro overthinks things and yet has no thoughts at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28261083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NebulaeReprise/pseuds/atlasRests
Summary: It wasn’t often Zoro heard anything about his roommate’s personal life, considering how long it took for him to even mention he even had a brother.“Huh? It never came up,” Luffy had said, as if Ace was a preference for a specific type of pizza topping. Though, if that were the case, Zoro thought, Luffy would announce it quite frequently, and loudly.So, when Luffy mentioned the existence of yetanotherelusive brother, Zoro was damned if he wasn’t going to pry more information out of him, such as, for one, how many more brothers he had left, tucked away.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Monkey D. Luffy & Roronoa Zoro, Monkey D. Luffy & Sabo, Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro, Portgas D. Ace & Sabo
Comments: 7
Kudos: 101
Collections: OP Secret Santa 2020





	fool for you

It wasn’t often Zoro heard anything about his roommate’s personal life, considering how long it took for him to even mention he even had a brother.

“Huh? It never came up,” Luffy had said, as if Ace was a preference for a specific type of pizza topping. Though, if that were the case, Zoro thought, Luffy would announce it quite frequently, and loudly.

So, when Luffy mentioned the existence of yet _another_ elusive brother, Zoro was damned if he wasn’t going to pry more information out of him, such as, for one, how many more brothers he had left, tucked away. Not that it mattered to him in any capacity, whether he knew about things or not. It was just good to know more about his roommate, as a quick ‘heads up’ for what he’d be in for. After all, the day Luffy revealed to him about Ace – it was simply unforgettable – was the day they gained a new occupant on the sofa. The conditions of this unofficial arrangement were dubious, at best. Still, he wasn’t about to alert his landlord; he had standards.

Yes, it wasn’t right to direct his frustrations at Ace, nor his younger brother, though, in the present moment, they were making a sustained effort on his patience. Zoro gripped the steering wheel tight, the clench of his jaw yet tighter, and flicked the indicator for a right turn.

Ace slapped the dashboard with increasing vigour. “I said, left, Zoro. _Left._ ”

“Yeah, yeah,” Zoro grumbled. He switched the indicator signal and swerved into the appropriate lane, gaining the ire of the cut off driver behind him. They rolled to a stop at the freeway entrance to a fanfare of furious honks. There was a chain of cars stretching from the tollgate backing up twenty cars deep.

“Alrighty.” Ace stretched, yawned, and made his feet comfortable on the dashboard. “We’re definitely gonna be late.”

“Remind me, whose idea was it for me to drive, again?” Zoro snarked, eyebrow raised.

Ace hummed in amusement. “Luffy’s. But if you wanna swap, just say so!”

“And die by narcoleptic idiot? Uh, no fucking thanks.”

Ace guffawed. “That’s fine by me!”

From the backseat came the sound of plastic packaging being torn open. The smell of beef permeated the car, overpowering the miasma of beer and old car seat. Zoro’s stomach gurgled in response. Luffy hooted in delight, and voraciously inhaled the smell, as if it alone could satiate his impetuous appetite.

“Imagine if someone made meat-scented perfume, Ace! That’d be so epic. I’d spray it on everyday.”

Ace grabbed a stick of jerky. “I’d wear it everyday to work. Everyone would look around, and think ‘Which asshole is cooking the merchandise?’ But no one is. It’s just me. I’m the asshole.”

Luffy stuffed another three sticks into his mouth. “You’re so lucky you get to work in a meat shop. If it were me, I’mma simply steal.”

“Who’s to say I don’t?” Ace cackled. Luffy yelled at his brother’s wanton chicanery, and at the prospect of more meat. Admittedly, Zoro was glad too. He might have blown his protein powder budget for the month.

Zoro tapped his fingers on the wheel, thoughts turning inwards. He didn’t hate it when he was in the brothers’ loud company. The noise didn’t bother him as much as it did at the beginning of their acquaintanceship. He liked hearing Luffy chatter away with someone he depended on. It reminded him of a time when his worries were of little consequence, when his days were filled with sandcastles and samurai, lunchboxes were packed with extra seaweed and mayo; a time where, everyday, there were familiar faces. Daydreaming, he could almost remember. Sitting here, in this moment, he felt it in the air he breathed. He let the balm of their boisterous laughter wash over him, like foam over a beach, and his tense countenance slowly settled into a smile.

* * *

There were so many people swarming around at the airport. Zoro had never seen anything of its magnitude in his entire country boy life. It could be a beehive, that is, if people were bees, and if they weren’t stepping on all of the imaginary baby bees. Zoro supposed the comparison could be made between hubs of flying things, taking off and landing.

“What’re you frowning for, Zoro?” Luffy yelled over the thrum of people.

“Airport’s a beehive,” he muttered.

Luffy tapped his chin in thought, and perked up. “Oh, I love beehives! They make great distractions.”

Zoro was cut off from his bewildered response by Ace grabbing both his and Luffy’s arms, and pulling them against the current of tourists and their heavy, toe-crushing luggage.

“I can see the sign for the gate!” Ace said.

Luffy whooped with excitement, then turned to him, grin an edge too feral. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Zoro.”

He gave Zoro a _look_ , chin set, and pointedly jutted out his elbow. Zoro knew this look well. Luffy jerked his head forwards, towards Ace.

Zoro blinked for a moment, then nodded. “Good idea.”

He took the proffered limb, linking his beefy arm through Luffy’s lanky one.

Luffy’s smile shined. “Three, two, one, go!”

They rushed the crowd – Zoro shouldering past anyone unlucky enough to block their path, Luffy lowering his head like a bull – hollering all the while. They all scrambled away quickly at the sight of a beefcake and his untamed partner charging at them. Ace, knocked over in the rush, stumbled after them, sheepishly apologising to harassed travellers, while also keeping an eye out for airport security.

Once they arrived, slightly out of breath, Zoro breathed out a sigh that bubbled into a laugh, chuckling at the stunt they had just pulled, while Luffy was consumed by a fit of snickering. His chest felt bright with exhilaration. Ace, bringing up the rear, gave them both a solid whack over the head, telling them to act their age— although his rosy freckled cheeks betrayed mirth around his crinkled, knowing eyes. As the giggles died down, Zoro realised something. Their arms were still linked. He slipped his arm out, his face feeling strangely warm.

“We made it!” Luffy cheered.

Zoro looked away. “Yeah. Nice one.”

(Zoro was no model citizen, but he usually followed the rules. When it came to Luffy, however, he didn’t mind being complicit in his mischief-making schemes. It was one of the unspoken tenets of their friendship.)

“You’re so cool,” Luffy teased. He screwed his face up in a mock frown, adapting a gruff voice. “Good idea.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow at Luffy, lips curving slightly. “It was your insane idea.”

(With Luffy, Zoro felt like it was just them against the world, out on the greatest cause in the world— even if said cause was just scrawling dumb drawings (in permanent marker) in stupid places for people to discover. Their escapades were small yet numerous. One audacious stunt even made the morning news.)

Luffy started repeatedly slapping him hard on the back, grinning like a fool. “It was, wasn’t it? And you went along with me!”

Zoro stared at him, ignoring the ache in his spine, and chest, in favour of watching the way the light made Luffy’s dark eyes crystal clear brown. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.”

(Though lately, he realised, with no small amount of anxiety, he may have enjoyed those escapades too much. Even Ace noticed: one day, he commented on it during a grocery run, leaving Zoro fumbling for an answer. Ace told him not to worry about it, handed him the milk, and said “Take care of him, please.” Zoro then proceeded to think about that all day.)

Luffy and Zoro locked eyes, neither blinking, and then snorted.

Ace sighed heavily. “Bridge jumpers.”

The crowd around them started to murmur in excitement, because the passengers had started to file out. All of them looked tired, with swollen eyes and shuffling gaits, but excited to see friends and family. All, but one. This person was alert, and his stride was wide, and he, too, seemed to be intently scanning the crowd for someone. As much as Zoro enjoyed Luffy’s exuberant retellings of his childhood exploits, they failed to mention one thing, and that was his brother’s appearance.

Ace raised a hand in greeting. “Hey, Sabo!” The stranger’s attention snapped towards their direction. Blonde, business suit, burn scar. That was Sabo, then.

Zoro fully expected Luffy to be bursting with excitement, but when he saw the look on Luffy’s face, he froze. Luffy wasn’t smiling. No, his face was slack with shock. Tears pooled in Luffy’s eyes as a wet, choked sound escaped his throat. His nose was red, and running with snot, which he sniffed up before he launched himself at his brother. His arms went tight around Sabo’s torso.

“Missed you, too, Luffy.” Sabo hugged his little brother back.

Luffy blubbered something unintelligible into his shirt.

“Aw, you're still a little cry baby, aren’t you?”

Luffy wiped his nose. “No! I just missed you a lot, okay?”

Sabo patted his head gently. “I’m sure you’ve grown up.”

"Yep! I got THIS much taller while you were gone." Luffy touched the top of his head with one hand, then shot that hand up as high as he could make it.

Sabo laughed, a forlorn sound, where his smile didn't reach his eyes. He wiped a tear away. "That's great, Luffy. But you'll always be little to me." 

"Hey! I've been drinking my milk. I _will_ catch up to you!"

"Sure you will, lil bro," Sabo said, with gentle sarcasm.

Noticing Ace and Zoro’s approach, Sabo lifted his top hat and bowed slightly in acknowledgement.

Ace smiled viciously, and brandished a fist. “How’ve you been, you flash bastard?” Ace went in for a punch on the shoulder, missed, for Sabo had imperceptively dodged. It seemed time and distance had not healed their bruised friendship.

Sabo gasped in offence. “Not missing your face, is what.”

Ace’s face fell slightly, then perked up again. He was feeling optimistic, for once, hopeful for a new beginning. “Bet? Eh, you’ll come around. Here,” He pushed Zoro forward. “This is Zoro.”

“He’s really cool!” Luffy added, detaching from Sabo, and starting up a hug/wrestle with Ace.

Zoro felt warm at the compliment, though something twinged in his chest. Channelling all the years of etiquette his sister taught him, and all the sincerity he could muster, he looked Sabo in the eyes. “Nice to meet you.”

Sabo straightened his suit, smiling. “It’s good to meet you too, Zoro! Luffy talked my _ear off_ about you.”

“He did?”

“I did!” Luffy chirped, from a headlock.

“He said you helped him break into a shopping centre to get snacks. I must say, I’m a little disappointed in that.”

Zoro narrowed his eyes. “Yeah? What’s your point?”

Sabo held his hands up in placation. “I thought they’d be more daring, your exploits? Perhaps, in the criminal sense? Did you stop him from going too far?”

Zoro frowned. How far was too far? Zoro thought back to all the times he caught Luffy jumping at him from a tree. And jumping at him from a roof. And— “Not really. I did what I could.”

“Ah, I see. All’s well then. Luffy doesn’t tolerate anyone taking his freedom.”

Zoro paused to process the implications. He was starting to inwardly freak the fuck out. Does this mean all those times when he acted as a landing pad, when Luffy cheekily apologised and they both went on with their inane hooliganism, he was preventing Luffy from doing something actually dangerous? He filed away this mind-blowing realisation for later. Zoro cleared his throat. “So, uh, what do you do?”

Sabo tapped his chin. “I’m in the business of, let’s say, liberation.”

“Of what?”

Sabo gestured vaguely. “Oh, you know. People, places. Politics. Let’s just say Luffy learnt it from me.”

Zoro suddenly understood jack shit. Before he could reply that he had no idea what the fuck—uh, had no idea what Sabo meant, Luffy interjected with a declaration of incredibly insolent hunger. Downright uncivil.

Ace clapped his hands together and held them against his bowed forehead. “I’m sorry, Sabo. Luffy ate all the beef jerky you asked for.”

Sabo gave him a noogie, a nostalgic truce to return to the familiar ways they bothered each other. “I can smell your breath, genius.”

Ace refrained from instinctually throwing hands with Sabo, then and there, instead letting him finish mussing up his hair. After that, he laughed, accepting the truce, and hooked his arm around Sabo's neck. "I knew you'd come around."

"Yes, I don't know _what_ has gotten into me," Sabo countered.

"You know, you can be a bit mean sometimes."

Sabo sniffed, smug. "Why, Mr. Portgas. You haven't seen anything yet."

Luffy, standing on tiptoe, pulled Zoro towards him with an arm slung around his neck. It felt very very warm. Luffy was hollering again, this time right next to his ear. “Enough yapping, Ace, Sabo! Time for lunch!"

Zoro let himself get dragged along, as always. It was a bit foolish of him, now that he'd thought about it for more than a moment. And he was completely fine with it.

And so the reunited brothers and company went to Maccas, and with righteously riotous mirth did they consume their meals. And the third and final brother paid because everyone else was broke, for it was the airport restaurant they did patronise, and it was exorbitant as fuck. And in observing the brothers three did the younger’s roommate and devotee inherit their bond. For they said, Let there be Brotherhood; and it was so. And between roommates were scrums and shenanigans aplenty, affection burning bright and true against life’s humdrum backdrop for all to see.

And it was good.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, it was what you thought it was. If you didn’t catch anything, disregard this statement.  
> Made for the OP Secret Santa 2020, for @portgas-d-dumbass on tumblr :D
> 
> Edit 27 December, 2020: Added some more dialogue between Ace and Sabo, which I thought was a bit lacking. Added the title drop. Do people do that? Edit after posting?


End file.
